Into The Sun
by Hardman 5509
Summary: A galaxy that went off the map years has come back, and now Shepard and crew are off to discover all the secrets it holds. RATED M for later chapters.
1. Return

_Let me tell you a story, a story I learned a long time ago. 20 years before Saren unleashed hell on Eden Prime, there was a nebula known as the Orbis System. A little far off from most of the home-worlds, but once you get there, the long travel would be all worth it. Many say it was a paradise for all alien races; like all the troubles and problems that plagued the entire galaxy were left on the doorstep._

_But there are two reasons as to why it's only a story. Those 20 years ago, the system went dark. The Mass Relay apparently went offline, leaving entire families separated from each other. And with the system at least five hundred thousand lightyears away, there was no way to get there in any amount of lifetimes._

_And here's the second reason. The Relay went back online, just a day ago. The Citadel has called upon their greatest resource, Commander Yuri Shepard, finally returning from the Terminus Systems after dealing with the Collectors, to go out and investigate Orbis. Learn what happened 20 years ago that caused all connection to be severed, and clear the way for the Council to re-welcome Orbis back into the fold of Council Space._

_Shepard can't do it alone. Besides the crew he picked up with his dealings with Cerebus, two former members who previously declined the previous mission are coming aboard the Normandy SR-2, as well as two new specialists sent by the Alliance._

_This is a journey of wonder. This is a journey of terror. This a journey of optimism. This is Mass Effect: Into The Sun._

* * *

The Normandy, and by proxy the Orbis System, were just five minutes away. Liara fidgeted in her seat on the shuttle. She couldn't help it really. Even as the greatest dealer in information in the entire galaxy, she couldn't shake the feeling of giddiness in her. Here she was, once again going on a adventure with the marvelous Shepard into a system she hadn't been to since she was a child.

"There are no bathrooms on this craft, T'soni." Wrex grumbled.

"Sorry if I act like a Terran dog." She quickly apogolized. "One of my first digs were out in the Orbis systems. I believe that the planet was named Hic Fodere."

"As much as it pleases me to once again stand back-to-back with my favorite human, my plates inch to remind me that I got scammed way back when. Make sure we steer clear of a place called Vivat. Makes Tuchanka looks like Pokitaru."

"Your opinion is regarded well." Liara replied, with a faint smile. "I suppose you want to size up the two rookies on your own?"

"Did your homework, like a good asari." Wrex grumbled.

"I take it that the person you appointed to relief you as explore was the lesser of two evils."

"Wreav can lead, but no further than a foot from his throne." Again he grumbled. "The only reason why I left is because the Council offered me a deal I couldn't turn down."

"Being the fifth Council race is a plentiful reward."

"Damn right." Wrex got out with a laugh. "The krogan are ready for this. We gotten past our days of eating people we didn't like." Before Liara could continue, the intercom crackled.

"It looks like we're ready to dock." The pilot's voice came over the intercom. "Make sure you got everything before disembarking."

Wrex flashed a toothy smile. "Ready to take the first steps?"

"Let's."

* * *

The Normandy was alive with activity. Officers were running about to get things ready, engineers were swarming all over to double check all systems, supplies were being delivered and stored, and old friends were greeting each other.

There wasn't much room to move around. Aisha flashed her 2nd Lieutenant badge to get onto the greatest military ship in existence, not to board another cargo ship. After spending a year projecting a ship of useless Volus materials, she was hoping to work alongside the heroes of the Citadel and the Terminus Systems, not to be cramped again.

She gritted her teeth as she passed through the crowds with both hands, not caring if anyone got hurt. Where the hell was Shepard? How could let things get this carried away? As she got pressed from both sides, she noticed two krogans warmly shaking hands. Aisha mustered her strength to make way to the two.

"Clan Leader. It's a honor to serve side-by-side to you." Grunt proudly proclaimed as the two shook hands.

"And the same to you." Wrex warmly said. "It's…"

"Hey." Wrex turned around to see a woman with dark skin and hot-red hair approaching him.

"What?"

And in a second, Wrex got stumbled back when the average-sized human woman head-butted him. If it wasn't for the fact he was quite used to this, he might have been knocked on his ass. This caught the attention to everyone in the room as they looked on.

"You're taking on too much space. Move somewhere else." Aisha asked as politely as she could before entering the elevator. "Fourth floor." She asked, and she descended.

"We haven't even got started, and we already made a new enemy." Grunt grunted out. (Sorry)

"Almost felt it there." Wrex grunted. "She must be one of the new guys."

"Indeed." A woman's voice called out to them. Both krogan turned to the voice as Miranda walked up to them. "Her name is Aisha Bashir. 2nd Lieutenant, trained as a Vanguard. Has…forty counts of violence against her. The Alliance sent her our way as a…" She cleared her throat. "…as a 'bodyguard' for Shepard."

"Really now?" Wrex started to laugh. "Being around Shepard is only going to double her record."

"She's not as bad as Jack." Miranda pointed out. "And Shepard has more or less calmed her down."

"I just wish she would move up to his quarters." Grunt added his two cents in. "Two people were not meant to sleep under a bulkhead. Makes too much noise. Like at night." Miranda and Wrex decided to have a talk with Grunt later on. He knew about mating, just nothing about human mating.

"So, the other rookie." Wrex switched subjects. "Got anything on him? Does he got the quad for this mission?"

"Well…" Miranda picked up her datapad and looked around for the information. "Ah. Name's Sylvin Wallace. Goes by Syl for short. Not much on him. Just enlisted as Serviceman 3rd Class, Engineer class. Strange." She tapped around for a bit. "Usually the Alliance has more than this."

"You bosh'tet!"

Again, everyone's attention turned to the other side of the deck now, as the quarian Tali was standing above several boxes of parts and a short young man. As he got up, people could see he looked much like a 21st century slacker, with his rimless glasses and thick stubble.

"Sorry." Was the first words he got out as he picked up the fallen boxes.

"Fine, fine." Tali calmed down as bended down to help collect boxes. "Just don't take so many boxes with you. How were you expecting to see anything?"

"Though the holes." Syl replied.

"What holes?"

"The ones…that, ahh…came when the boxes shifted around?"

"Oh, boy." Tali sighed, the weight of the idea that he was going to assist her during the year journey. And here she thought that dealing with the upcoming Reaper invasion would be the worst possible thing.

"So we got a tough-ass and a dumb-ass." Grunt summed up.

"Good." Wrex laughed. "Always nice to have some meat shields that won't be missed."

"Now then." Miranda broke away to address everyone on deck. "Shepard will be giving a ship-wide broadcast soon once everything is settled. But if you wish to meet him in person, he's the Cargo Bay. But finish your primary duties first."

"Really?" Syl shouted, while tossing the boxes into Tali's hands. While she tried to hold her ground, Syl ran to the elevator and jumped in, not caring for the fact that Tali had fallen to the ground and the boxes completely giving away and letting the parts spill all over the place.

And all the senior crew could was to sigh and move on.

* * *

Yuri knew the feeling of pressure. Not peer pressure mind you, but rather the constant weight of duty. He just finished dealing with the Collectors, the Shadow Broker, and the Overlord Project. To be more detailed, he fought against a race of colony-kidnapping Reaper loyalists, the greatest kingpin of information and his deep cover agents and a illegal project that forced a man to undergo a horrifying transformation into a VI. And now, having returned to his dream job as a Alliance officer, he was being sent out into unknown territory yet again.

Who knows what's out there? Another group of Reaper supporters? A even crazier broker of information? Satan Project? A evil Conrad Verner?

At least he was given several good reasons to go out into the unknown. Liara and Wrex could afford to leave their positions to join him this time. All of the people that Cerberus nicely 'donated' were sticking around. And the Council was more than happy to send supplies and soldiers to join them. So at the very least, it would be as hellish as the Traverse…hopefully.

"All right." A voice drew his attention away from the both the datapad and his thoughts. "You like?"

Oh, right. The last good reason.

And there she is. With hair on her head. Well, the sides were still shaved, but Yuri did like the ponytail she put on. Because the belt got burnt up during a rough reentry (Leading to one ensign's ribs being cracked for a rude remark) she traded it in for a less-revealing shirt and a studded jacket. Honestly, Yuri would have missed the old bald Jack…only a little.

"Love it." Yuri smiled.

"Guessed you thought that." She jumped off the platform and into the open arms of her boyfriend. "So, we got yet another insane mission on our hands."

"Oh yeah." Yuri put her down. "A little less insane."

"But still, something hardcore." Jack jokingly punched Yuri's arm.

"No doubt." Yuri sighed. "I was hoping for some down time, but I'm thrown into the breech yet again."

"You could just quit." Jack yawned and stretched her arms up.

"I love this job." Yuri said as he picked back up his datapad and tapped away at some orders. "It's just the mission. I'm more used to six weeks long missions, not a entire year."

"So quit."

"No."

"Then stop complaining."

"Can't argue with that." Yuri just threw his arms. "But still, orders are orders. And you're along for the ride."

"And you locked the escape pods to prevent me from pulling off a 'see ya, suckers?'"

"Good thing I thought ahead, huh?"

Jack again punched Yuri in the arm, this time a bit more harder. Yuri rubbed his 'wound' as the two reached the end of the cargo bay. "Hopefully we don't hit a meteor on the way out. If you survive and everyone doesn't, it's going to be hard to explain why nobody could escape."

"I'm joking, I'm joking." Yuri shrugged. "But you're not going to bail on me, are you?"

"Nah. I'm coming along on my own free will. Things were interesting with you around. Firefights, explosions, insane people, sex…"

"Everything we want in a nice wrapped package."

"Hell…"

_KKKRRAAASSHHH_

The two stopped their conservation to notice a Serviceman picking himself off the ground after colliding with a tray of boxes. Yuri and Jack shared confused looks. The Serviceman looked up, noticed Yuri, and extended his hand out. "Commander, I amazed to meet you!" He said. Yuri raised a eyebrow. "Oh, right. Serviceman 3rd Class Sylvin Wallace." Yuri then shook his hand.

"Welcome aboard." Yuri welcomed. "You're the new Engineer?"

"Yeah." Again, Yuri's eyebrow raised a notch. "Oh, sorry. Yes, and I just meet Chief Engineer…err…"

"Problem?"

"Do I refer to her as Neema or Normandy?"

"Tali will do fine." Yuri instructed. "We're less formal around here. We do have some regulations around here, but you can relax as long as you don't go around and harass anybody."

"Okay!" And with that, he did rolled his right arm around, tucked his thumb in, and crossed his arm across his throat before taking off.

"We got a handful." Jack sighed.

Yuri just groaned.

* * *

Everything was set. Ship fueled, cargo loaded, crew settled. All it needed now was the traditional cast off speech.

"I take it that after you retire, you got plans to get into politics." Joker 'joked' as Yuri walked into the cockpit.

"What makes you say that?" Yuri asked perplexed.

"I don't know…" Joker shrugged. "You just have that air about you, the ability to talk people down, as well as make crap up on the spot."

"True." Yuri chuckled. "Actually, I've been working on the speech since the briefing."

"No cue cards?" The two turned to see Garrus enter the area.

"Don't need them." Yuri replied.

"That's actually a good thing. I don't even have the fingers to count how many times a politicians needlessly endanger himself with cue cards."

"Really now?" Yuri egged on.

"Oh yes." Garrus groaned, recalling some unsavory memory from his days as a officer aboard the Citadel. "When they bend down to pick them up after dropping them, they're open to snipers. And they always drop them at one point. We got some more important going on, so I'll tell you guys later about I nearly died thanks to a single index card."

"For once, I'm interested." Joker piped up.

"Right." Yuri cleared his throat. "Everything is set, everyone is ready. Let's not keep them waiting." Joker nodded, and flipped some switches. With a soft hum, the broadcast channel opened up to the entire ship. Yuri sat in the co-pilot seat and spoke.

"This is nothing new to us. Most of us just got back from a mission into the unknown; a mission many said would kill us all. Expect nobody died. We all came out alive. Our mission may sound tedious: explore a lost nebula for a year. But we have no idea what to expect. The intel is over twenty years old, so everything we actually know may be lies. The entire system may not even exist."

The crew started to mumble to themselves.

"But this mission is no different. We go into the unknown, and we come back. That's all we need to do. This is nothing new to us. The only thing new is supplies and crew. We got a long year ahead of us, but let's make this a year NOBODY will forget. Now then, remind me something. What are we?"

"WE ARE THE CREW OF THE NORMANDY!" Proudly replied everyone on the ship, save for the new people and the more socially reserved.

"I thought so." Yuri patted Joker on the back. "Now, would you kindly?"

"Gladly." And with that, Joker hit the thrusters.

For nothing to happen.

"Huh." Garrus was the first to speak on the entire ship.

"Mr. Moreau." Yuri asked after blinking several times. "Why isn't my ship moving?"

"Good question." Joker choked out. "Uhh…ED-I!"

"I'm currently looking into it." ED-I chirped as her avatar popped up and started to check the systems. "Something of unknown origins has attached itself to the main thrusters and is preventing them from firing up." The people in the cockpit turned to face each other to figure out what exactly that meant.

"Unknown origins?" Garrus repeated. "You don't think…"

"The device is not of Reaper, Collector, or of Geth origins. The device is also not of custom design; as it has all of the finishing of a factory-made device, with current technology." ED-I finished before she flashed white for a second, meaning she had found something else. "A second check has revealed a mark that belonged to a company that existed twenty years ago." The others in the cockpit had only one thing on their minds.

"The Orbis System?" Joker asked, breaking the silence.

"Correct." ED-I answered.

"Wait wait wait." Joker stuttered. "But nobody has traveled from Orbis to here yet, or vice-versa! Right? It…it hasn't changed since yesterday, right?"

"I've been checking with the Mass Relay logs every hour." ED-I inquired. "There has been zero activity for both coming and going. Nothing has traveled here or there."

"Figures."

A unknown voice came from behind the four of them. As they turned, they saw nothing but the hallway into the cockpit and the crew managing the computers in said hallway. But Garrus' trained eyes did see something moving forward, but only a faint ripple of light.

"Infiltrator." Garrus informed the others as he drew his sidearm, aiming down the center of the hall. Yuri followed suit while Joker just remained still. He forgot to replace his emergency firearm after he used it in a shooting gallery. The ripple stopped near the entrance, and a small laugh came from the direction of it. "You got ten to drop the cloak." Garrus ordered. The figure agreed, and appeared a tall Asari dressed all in black, and with a dark look on her face.

"So you aren't behind on technology as we thought." She said as she leaned back on a bulkhead.

"Tactical Cloaks are fairly common." Garrus replied. "And fairly easy to detect."

The Asari shrugged. "Then again, talking out loud does diminish the possible threat." She got back up, swinging her arms forward like it was nothing more than a lazy day for her. "So, you're Commander Yuri Shepard." She pointed to him, who remained solid in place. "Hero of the Citadel, man who turns suicide missions into cakewalks…" She opened and closed her hand as she talked. "You seem to be…unremarkable."

"Sorry that I didn't dress up for a unexpected guest." Yuri spoke up. "Who are you, anyway? And how did you manage to get aboard?"

"I walked in." The Asari replied. "You really need to run scans on transport vessels. Anybody could hide in the cargo hold and twiddle thier fingers waiting for the ride to end."

"I'll keep that mind." Yuri replied. "Name. Now."

Again, the Asari shrugged. "Forza Z'Oni. I'm your welcome wagon to the Orbis System." She spread her arms out wide. Nobody went out of their way to hug her, so she dropped her arms. "Fine then." Her hands started to glow with a white biotic energy. Yuri and Garrus' suddenly dropped their pistols. "Surrender your vessel and allow me to take you to where you…"

Forza went flying back, like a bungee jumper whose cord just hit full length. Samara had pulled the cord, and Forza went right into the awaiting clenched fist of Grunt. The squishy Asari went back the way she came, but managed to recover in mid-air and land on her feet. But this point, Garrus and Yuri had already reclaimed their firearms and were approaching her . Forza tensed up, and let out a large biotic wave all around her, pushing everyone near back and blinding other further away. While the others were busy getting their balance back, Forza had went invisible.

"ED-I!" Joker started furiously tapping on his holoboard. "Can you detect any signs of her?"

"I'm sensing a masked life sign in the Cargo Bay." ED-I informed. "She slipped through a duct."

"Come on!" Grunt called from the elevator with Samara in tow.

"Is anyone nearby?" Asked Yuri as he grabbed a rifle form the emergency closet. He tossed one to Garrus as they raced towards the elevator.

"Yes. 2nd Lieutenant Aisha Bashir and Serviceman 3rd Class Sylvin Wallace." ED-I replied. "I'm sending them a warning as we speak."

"Good!" Yuri shouted as the elevator descended down as fast as it could.

* * *

"I'm good at juggling."

"No."

Syl sighed. Aisha groaned for her response and then turned around to resume checking the crate for anything contraband. The two had been given, for their first duty aboard the Normandy, double-checking cargo. A tedious chore, sure, but after they ditched Cerberus after their true intentions came into the light, you had to make sure that some double-agent hadn't snuck a explosive aboard. If Cerberus could resurrect Yuri, it's nothing to him to make a sensor-avoiding bomb.

"Do you have any interests?" Syl finally asked. Aisha didn't even move her body in anyway to respond to him. When Syl opened his mouth and made a noise, she threw a packed instant lunch of mashed potatoes at him, and it landed right into his mouth. He spat out the package, and turned around to get back to work.

"Can I have your name at least?" He asked as he dug through some engineer tools.

"Aisha." She replied in the most deadpan voice ever heard by the human ears. She immediately went quiet.

"Okay." Syl replied with a smile. "My name is…"

"Be quiet." Aisha shot back with the same tone of voice. When Syl turned around to look at her, all he saw was another packed lunch before he turned right around to get to work. But he waited until she put the thing back in the container before attempting to speak again.

"INTRUDER ALERT. INTRUDER IN CARGO BAY. INTRUDER IS CLOAKED."

The blaring alert immediately broke the ice between the two, and they immediately got to work. Aisha reached behind her to grab her Eviscerator Shotgun while Syl grabbed his Geth Plasma Shotgun.

"You got training with that?" Aisha asked.

"I'm not a good shot, 'kay?" Syl shot back as he leapt over a container to take cover. They kept quiet and looked around the bay for the intruder. They didn't see any ripples of light, let alone anyone else. Syl got a little anxious, and started to wildly shift around in his position to look for any signs of action. Aisha tried to motion over to him to get him to stop. He continued to do so.

"Stop!" She harshly said under her breath. He finally did, but before firing off a shot in a supposedly random direction.

"I see it!" He shouted back. Aisha rushed to his side to see a faint glimmer of light move behind a crate. He missed the intruder, but barely. Aisha darted after it with shotgun ready. She turned the corner and quickly fired off a shot, but again the shot soared past the intruder. Gritting her teeth, she readied her biotic charge as she continued to run after the target. She then heard Syl's shotgun going off, indicating that the intruder must have doubled back.

Hoping to corner it, she activated the charge down the same path she just traveled on. Her shoulder made contact with something soft and invisible, knocking it far away.

"Gottya!" Aisha declared, using the leftover biotic energy to quickly make her way through the cargo to where Forza landed. Her cloak had gotten smashed by the impact, and now she faded in between visibility and invisibility. Her hand forced, she withdrew her measly small pistol and pointed at the approaching Syl. One shot, and the stairs in front of her exploded in a mess of molten metal.

"You see that!" Syl shouted as Aisha also took cover.

"The Orbis System must have a hella of a armory." Aisha grinned as she rounded the corner of the crate and fired off a shot. This time, Forza got hit in the shoulder by three pellets. She did manage to temporality activate her cloak in time to escape from the incoming gunfire.

"Damn you!" Forza answered as she fired two more shots, causing more explosions to cover her. Finally, the cloak device just fell off, completely destroyed. Growling even more at her bad luck, she continued to fire off more shots in random directions, not really caring if she hit her pursuers, just as long as something blew up was enough to please her.

"And here I thought you were the sneaky type."

Forza felt the tip of a inferior gun touch the back of her neck. Jack had gotten the drop on her.

"So…" Jack rubbed the back of her neck with one hand. "I can make this easy. Either knock you out cold, or kill you quick."

"You're a biotic, aren't you?" Asked Forza, having felt a strong biotic presence earlier. "You could have done both earlier."

"True." Jack sighed. "But I'm trying to be nice and all. So…surrender or…"

"DIE!" Forza quickly ducked and turned 180 to push her fist into Jack's stomach. Jack dropped her pistol in shock and managed to block the punch. Forza followed up with more punches and kicks, but Jack easily blocked and finally countered with a biotic-charged punch. Forza fell to the floor on her back, and before she could get up, Jack stamped down on Forza's stomach, and again pointed the gun.

"HA!" Forza shouted, her eyes getting more stained by the second. The once calm Asari now acted like a mad dog. "Your technology is light-years behind ours!"

"A headshot is still a headshot." Jack replied, before turning her head over to the main cargo area, still smoking. "Hey! New guys!" This small distraction was enough for Forza to smack her left wrist. Jack looked down to see the Asari's body dissolve into red swirling light and then vanish, leaving Jack's foot to land on the floor where the body used to be.

"What…" Syl came in first, his face dirty from blast marks. "What happened?"

For once, Jack didn't have a smart remark.

* * *

"Teleportation?" Yuri asked amazed.

"Ship-to-ship." Thane confirmed. "The Orbis System do indeed have technology beyond ours." He shook his head in near disbelief. "And it took only one person to nearly take down this ship."

"But Forza had the eyes of a amateur." Zaeed chipped in. "She knew how to use her stuff, but she left herself open to several attacks."

Thane shook his head in confirmation. "Her biggest mistake was announcing herself in front of us. If she kept her cloak up and kept quiet, she could have easily took us out and commandeered the Normandy." He raised his a hand to his chin in thought. "Speaking of which…where would she take us?"

Yuri sighed. "We need to get to the Orbis System pronto then. I rather walk into a trap than to be lead around like a slave." The others in the meeting room went quiet, realizing that Yuri had started to think about Mindoir again. "Joker, set a course to the first planet in the Orbis System. How long will it take?" Yuri asked over the comm.

"According to reports…about two days."

"The Mass Relay is that far away from civilization?" Asked Zaeed.

"Another mystery to be solved when we get there." Yuri grumbled as he exited the room. "If anyone needs me, I'll be in my quarters getting things ready." Jack followed behind him and the two entered the elevator and went up.

"You're worried." Jack asked halfway up.

"A little." Yuri sighed. "We got a lot people on board, and I have the feeling this mission is going to be tougher than the last." Jack scoffed.

"The mission involving a supposed dead advanced race, transformed to work for their enemies; those enemies being destroyers of all life mind you, kidnapping entire human colonies to make a destroyer of all life is easier than exploring a single galaxy?" Jack held back her laughter.

"Call it a gut instinct." Yuri replied. "Or I'm overdramatizing." He shrugged as Jack shook her head in disbelief.

"What does your past experiences tell you?" Jack asked. Yuri took a while to think of his response, and spoke when they reached the top floor.

"They're telling me to be ready for anything…even a Reaper like Sovereign could be sleeping around in Orbis." Yuri groaned as he flopped down on the bed. "I haven't done anything today, and yet I feel like I fought all throughout Omega armed only with a broken pistol." Jack sat down on the bed and started to pet him like a cat. "That does feel better."

"Ah. Poor baby." Jack chided him. "Don't worry, I'm here. The crew is here. What ever comes our way…we can handle it just like always." Jack slowly started to scratch the back of his neck, again like a cat. "Besides, my gut is saying to me that we'll have plenty of free time during this mission…" She started to stroke his chin.

As Joker made the jump into the Orbis System, so did Jack and Yuri.


	2. Hunted

_This is a journey of wonder. This is a journey of terror. This is a journey of optimism. This is Mass Effect: Into The Sun._

The first planet of the Orbis System was still a day away. So far, the journey had been uneventful, not counting the attack by Forza. Ship was running fine, the crew was acclimating well, supplies were plenty, and the only real trouble that happened was a toilet being clogged.

Miranda stifled a yawn as she sat down in her more comfortable chair in the corner of her office. While she did quit Cerberus, the endless pile of paperwork didn't end. In fact, she had a lot more to deal with now. She had taken up on herself to do all the paperwork on the ship. Might as well, she already had experience.

In fact, she spent all night to catch up, and now her eyes started to droop. As she drifted off to sleep, she started to wonder how to build a better relationship with the crew. While the mission to stop the Collectors did give her time to become friendly with some, others still had their reservations.

Chakwas already established a good relationship with everbody on board. Garrus would at least start an conservation with her, which was nice. Grunt, while lacking on normal social interaction, did offer to be her bodyguard while she did off-ship chores, in case of a Cerberus attack. Jack, of course, still proclaimed her hate for all thing Cerberus…yes, even Ex-Cerberus. The vicarious biotic would be last on the list. Kasumi was always nice, so less of her.

Legion, given his late entry into the team, still needed time to adjust to others. Liara and Miranda had previous dealings, (It's how they get here in the first place) so little need there. Mordin was hard to have a conservation with, given his erratic speech-pattern, but he's always nice. Samara took a while to crack, but she Miranda had the feeling deep down it might be worth it in the end.

Tali still had her reservations about Cerberus. Thane was a different story. He was fairly open about things, and didn't have any preferences about who was interested. Wrex already had a large reputation aboard the Normandy, so it would be best to tread lightly around him. And finally, Zaeed…would require a good amount of booze. Thank god for her superior liver.

But she needed rest. Would be easier to build bridges with a full 8 hours of sleep. She lazily got up from her chair and reached her bed, collapsing into a deep sleep.

"MIRANDA!"

She jolted up from her bed. "WHAT!"

"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" Yelled back Kasumi. "BIG GUNSHIP! DIDN'T YOU HEAR THE EXPLOSIONS AND SIRENS?!"

"Already?" Miranda groaned. Apparently, she was so tired she blocked out all sound in her sleep. But she did look over and see that at least four hours had passed since she fell asleep. Throwing the covers off, she dashed out of her room and into the crew deck. The place was on fire, with several crewmates running around to put out the fires.

"Damage report, ED-I!" Miranda demanded as she raced to the elevator.

"No causalities as of right now. We do have twelve injuries as the result of a small rupture on deck four." ED-I chimed in. "The weapons aboard the enemy ship haven't done much damage to the rest of the ship, and Mr. Moreau is keeping the enemy from going underneath the Normandy."

The second deck was buzzing with activity as Miranda arrived. Jacob came out of the armory with a extinguisher and threw into a corner before he took control of a console.

"Jacob, what did I miss?" Miranda asked amazed.

"It was quiet until the cargo bay was hit." Jacob asked as he typed in some orders. "Some unknown ship had snuck under and tried to scuttle us." He smiled despite the situation. "Best thank Tali for staying up and getting the shields up before they could finish the job."

"Have we gone on the offensive yet?" Miranda asked as she helped Kelly on the main console.

"Working on…that…" Jacob spoke. He tapped something into the console and then raised a hand to his ear. "Garrus! You got power!"

"Doesn't matter." Garrus barked back, sounding rather annoyed under the crackle of static. "Target is too erratic to get a clean hit."

"What the hell did we just get into?" Miranda hissed to herself, as she started to reroute power to essentials. She looked up and forward into the cockpit. Joker was franticly rocking the controls to keep the enemy from attacking the underbelly again. He seemed to be having a hard time. Miranda again questioned the decision.

"Where's Yuri?" She asked as the ship rocked once more.

"In the cargo bay!" Shouted Jacob over the roar of the engines kicking in to get away from the enemy. "I think he went down there…"

"For Jack, yeah I figured!" Miranda replied with teeth gritted.

"Shit!" A second voice grunted through the intercoms. "Grunt here! The enemy is starting to send over smaller ships! They're coming up on the port side!"

"Dammit!" Jacob smacked the side of the ship's wall. "As if we don't have enough to deal with already!"

As if a response for hitting it, the ship rocked and titled to the side, enough for Miranda to fall into the wall near Jacob, who managed to hang onto a metal bar. Miranda could feel a little trickle of blood in the back of her head. Her legs didn't have the proper energy to get back up and try to fix things.

She closed her eyes, expecting the end. They hadn't come far at all. And indeed, a great explosion sound did reach her ears, but it didn't come from the Normandy. Rather, the enemy ship.

"Enemy hit?" Garrus questioned over the comms. Jacob pushed off the bar and went to his console. Indeed, the enemy ship did explode, but only one wing fell off. The ship attempted to turn around and find the attacker, but a second shot of a golden laser from a nearby moon pierced through the second wing, tearing it off completely. The defenseless ship, now immobile and drifting in space, fired off in different directions, but a third and final shot piercing down the middle, causing the enemy ship to explode as the engines and core were hit in a single shot.

"HOLY HELL!" Aisha yelled over the comms. "DID EVERYBODY SEE THAT!?"

"Y-yeah!" Stuttered Garrus. "That's a GARDIAN tower…planet-side. But that aim…and the timing in between each shot…that's skill."

"The enemy ships are retreating!" Grunt announced. "Shepard! We should go after them!"

"Not yet." Yuri ordered. "We need to repair the Normandy first. Damage reports indicate we won't last another fight."

"On it!"

"No, Sylvin." Shepard replied sternly. "You need medical attention for that bruise on her neck. All crew head to your deck's medical bay for a check-up. Commander out."

Miranda brushed her hand across the back of her head, feeling the area with the most pain and the most wet. When she looked at her hand, it was stained light red. Groaning to herself, and feeling slightly light-headed, she got herself over the medical bay. Jacob followed behind, his leg having been dinged up by the fall.

"Hello, Ms. Lawson." Samara said as Miranda stumbled in. "Are you okay?"

"Where's Doctor Siddig?" Asked Miranda as she sat down onto a table. "I got a nasty cut on the back of my head that needs attention." She showed Samara her bloody palm.

"In the back with the more serious wounded, but I can take care of that myself." The older Asari took a pack of medigel and applied to the wounded area. "Are you feeling any dizziness?"

"A little." Miranda replied. "I just woke up too."

"There." Miranda felt the back of her head again. Felt a bit wet from the gel, but otherwise the bleeding had stopped and the cut had been sealed up. "Come back if the bleeding starts again."

"Thanks." As Miranda got up from the table, she surveillanced the room. Other crewmates were in worse shape than she was. While there weren't any causalities, plenty of people ended up with broken bones and lacerations. Mordin was in a corner, tending to a long cut on his arm. Samara went to work on another injured man in the corner.

Miranda decided to start now with her friendship building. Might as well. Realizing that the man Samara tended to would need a cast for his shattered arm, Miranda helped Samara by handing her what she needed.

"Can you…" Miranda searched for the right words. "…tell me what happened leading up to the attack?"

Samara gently placed the man's broken arm into the sling. "I was meditating when I heard the quiet hum of a engine coming from under the ship. I peered out my window and saw the enemy ship descending down to the underside. It opened fire, and I helped defend the Normandy." She tapped the cast shut. "And that's about it."

"So they just attacked out of the blue?"

"Apparently so."

Miranda mulled over this. She wasn't getting anywhere with Samara, but rather she started to get a grip on the situation. Either this galaxy was just naturally violent, or something was up. But Miranda shifted subject as Samara went over to help another crewmate.

"What were you meditating about?" Miranda asked.

"My other children." Samara openly spoke. "Falere and Rila. The ones who chose to live at the monastery."

"Ah." Miranda put out. Talking about sordid pasts on this ship usually lead to tears. "When was the last time…"

"100 years."

Which could be considered 10 years in human time. Miranda felt a bit angry on how direct Samara was. Miranda would feel incredibly depressed if she couldn't see, let alone talk to Oriana. While Samara had a strict honor code she lived her life by, she could at least be a bit warmer.

"Not even a message?" Miranda asked.

"I was occupied with another matter." Samara reminded.

Well. Miranda thought to herself. What a way to start. It's a wonder how Commander Shepard managed to have a normal conservation with Samara. In the end, Miranda decided to remain quiet and focus on helping injured crewmates.

"Attention staff." ED-I announced over the comms. "Shepard, Aisha, Liara and Mordin will be heading down to the planet to meet the people who helped us. Sylvin, Wrex and Zaeed, report to the shuttle bay. You have a special assignment. The rest of the crew, continue to repair the ship."

"Special assignment, huh?" Miranda wondered out loud.

"I believe they're going after the attackers that got away." Samara theorized.

"Hopefully, this is the last bit of action for now…"

* * *

The descent into the planet below gave the crew time to see the result of the destruction. Yuri felt a little sick looking at this. It reminded him too much on the first Normandy's destruction and his long good look at it. But there was a difference here. For starters, there was a lack of bodies. For a ship half the size of the Normandy, it would at least require two hundred bodies to run it. And there was no way that the smaller ships were carrying the entire crew and remotely driving the ship.

Mordin shook. "Cold."

"I can turn up the temperature if necessary, doctor." Liara offered.

"No." Mordin then shook his head. "Not cold temperature-wise. More like atmosphere-wise. Strolling through the dead body of a giant." He took a deep breath. "Much like walking through a battlefield after a century-long war."

"You'll get used to it." Aisha grumbled. "Doctor, weren't you part of the Special Tasks Force? Shouldn't you be used to this already?"

Mordin shook his head again. "No. Never really used to it. Even more so being in a new galaxy. Not a good way to start relations."

"Best take it up with our savior." Liara said.

The rest of the trip down remained in silence. Once they dived through the stratosphere and made a straight line to their destination, all of them could see that the planet looked to be a bit dead. While it still had vegetation, the flora was drying up and would die off in a few months. Instead of being the usual green, it appeared to be a light brown.

"I've seen this before." Liara wondered out loud. "In a file back in the Shadow Broker base."

"Go on." Yuri asked.

Liara tapped her head to recall the information. "Yes. One planet my…predecessor kept an eye on had this kind of dying vegetation. He discovered that the people there found a way to tap into the planet's core and use it to power their technology. As they drained the core more and more, the planet lost the ability to sustain life and it turned into a dead planet."

"So the GARDIAN lasers…" Aisha pointed out.

"I believe that this planet has only two months left." Liara predicted.

Eventually, they could see where they being called to. A small, grey, military base with three GARDIAN towers nearby and cooling down. Two men in thick orange armor were waving them down on a landing platform on top of the base. After landing there, the two soldiers pointed their rifles straight at Yuri as he descended off his ship.

"Weapons." The soldier on the right demanded.

"Sorry, but we prefer to keep our weapons on our persons." Yuri declared. His eyes darted over to Aisha, who drummed her fingers on her sidearm. Liara and Mordin kept their arms down. The soldiers approached within arm's reach.

"Hold."

A hoarse, yet strong voice immediately got the soldiers to holster their weapons. They lined up to allow their leader to stride up to Yuri. While the men dressed in combat armor, their leader apparently felt the need to dress in clothes best fitted for someone traveling through the desert. But yet, the clothes were clean and not tattered. He wore a large hat that covered most of his face in a dark shadow, but close up Yuri could see that the person was a dark-skinned Salarain, but something about him made Yuri feel uneven.

"You the captain of the attacked ship?" Asked the Salarain, in a rather slow way compared to most Salarians.

"Yes." Yuri replied.

"My name is Tarlan Olor." He waved his hand to the elevator. "Shall we descend…"

"Commander Yuri Shepard."

"Mr. Shepard." Tarlan went back to the elevator, while his soldiers just stood there. "We have some matters to discuss. It's better to talk down below. A sandstorm is about to come in about five minutes."

Indeed, Liara turned her head to see a cloud of sand from a deserted area three miles out building up in the sky. She led the way for the others, while the soldiers still stood there. Once the five were in the car, Tarlan pressed a button and the car descended as the storm hit the platform.

"Are they…"

"They're machines designed to survive in this sort of weather." Tarlan filled in Yuri. "I'm the only organic left on this planet now. The natives have either long since left or died off years ago. But they left behind all this, and it didn't take long for repairs to be made." He drawled out slowly.

Mordin caught on and asked, "Tarlan, question. You seem to be…"

"Gotose Disease, yes."

"Mordin?" Yuri asked.

"Gotose Disease." Mordin first repeated before following up with a heavy sigh. "Very rare, chances are 1 out 20 for new-born males. Remember, Salarians have fast metabolism. Makes us hyperactive, but we don't live long. Gotose Disease subverts this. Slower metabolism. Longer life, usually."

"Usually?" Yuri repeated. "What are the side-effects?"

"Many." Tarlan spoke up. "Too many to list, but all are painful. But the biggest and the most common one is the lack of intelligence." He grunted out a shallow laugh. "I hated school."

"It's the one thing everyone shares." Yuri optimistically chimed in.

"I enjoy my school." Liara huffed.

"Different strokes." Tarlan sighed. "So…Mr. Shepard. Are you going to introduce to your friends?"

Yuri jumped as he realized his mistake. "I apologize. This is Liara, Aisha and Mordin Solus."

"Solus." Tarlan repeated. "As in, Kalus Solus of the Fourth Project?" This caught Mordin off guard. "My parents spoke highly of him when we traveled here to this galaxy."

"Man, this entire trip has been nothing but exposition." Aisha groaned. "All right…this Fourth…"

"Nothing important to non-Salarians." Both Tarlan and Mordin butted in. Aisha attempted to speak something else, but a look from Liara kept her quiet the rest of the slow elevator ride down. The floor they arrived in looked to be a planning room, but all the computer screens were shattered and the consoles had been shot up. The table still remained in one piece and had been cleaned recently, but several burn marks from laser shots still remained.

"Whatever happened to the people here, they didn't want anybody gaining whatever they had stored here." Tarlan announced. "I haven't been able to recover any information from the databanks, like what happened to the people here or why this station is absorbing energy from the planet." He sat down in the main chair at the table. While the others sat down, Liara instead went to the least damaged computer and got to work on trying to fix it. "Ms. T'soni, what are you doing?"

"I think…I can fix it." Liara replied. "This is a one-man job, so you can continue without me."

"Very well." Tarlan turned back to the others. "Commander. What is your business here?"

"We came here to learn what happened to the Mass Relay and reestablish connections with the Orbis System." Yuri stated. "Tell me, the ship that attacked us…"

"Wait." Liara stopped working on the console. "Mr. Olor. I didn't give you my last name."

* * *

"…so you lived…and everyone else died."

"Sums up it very well."

"Sums you up very well." Wrex grunted. He was getting tired of being in a small spacecraft with a crotchy old man and an annoying rookie. Zaeed told the same story with different wording, while Syl piloted the shuttle and piped in with his own two cents every now and then. And according to the on-ship computer, they had fifteen minutes to go before they caught up to the enemy ship that got away. At least there might be some fighting there. But there's still the backtrip…

"I tend to survive the toughest shit." Zaeed said.

"So…" Syl piped in. "…is the Normandy the only crew you worked with that hasn't all died off around you?"

"…that's a interesting question…"

"Harumph."

"You're quite a downer, Wrex."

Wrex decided that this wasn't worth fighting, and went into the back to lie down. Might as well get the sleep he lost over the fight. He could hear Zaeed make a hoarse laugh behind him. Before he had a chance to sit down and take a small nap, he then heard the ship hum into auto-pilot. Realizing of what's to come, he got up and waited for Syl to come while drumming his fingers. And so he did, with hands behind his back.

"Hey."

"Go away."

"…can I ask you something?"

"…no. Really. Go away."

"…could you tell me about your first kill?"

Wrex was about to repeat himself when he realized that the kid had a earnest look on his face. As he was a rookie, he still hadn't shot a moving, living target. While he did assist in removing the threat from before, the threat was alive and well. A situation like this would probably require him to shoot a alive target and keep doing so until the target stopped moving.

"Well…" Wrex muscled out. "My first kill? That depends. Animal or sentient?"

"Uh…well…" Syl also drummed his fingers against his own. "If we count animals, then my first kill would be the pillbug I ate as a two-year old." He shrugged as Wrex blinked several times. "What? Krogan babies aren't little hellions? I remember a project in fourth grade where we…"

"…sentient it is." Wrex concluded, looking down. "Well." He tapped his head with a fist, trying to remember back that long. "Most people say my father, Jarrod, was my first kill. Not even close. It was before that. Way before Jarrod called for a Crush." He peered back up to see Syl still starring intently on. "Let me guess. You're going to say, 'You lost me at Well'."

"No." Syl shook his head. "The Alliance gave me details on the all important people on the Normandy before I got sent here." He cleared his throat, also trying to remember. "A Crush is a meeting on neutral ground. However…Jarrod betrayed you…"

"Thank you for reminding me of my own damn history." Wrex growled. "But I guess the Alliance doesn't know about the time I…"

"Fellas?" Zaeed interrupted the conservation. "You need to see."

"What is it?" Syl asked.

"A possible shit-storm."

Wrex and Syl stumbled into the front part of the shuttlecraft. Outside of the ship, they could see what was left of the fleeing enemy ship. Four machines flew around the craft started to dismantle it. Engines, wings, and parts of the hull were all just floating away as the Normandy shuttle flew through the new ship graveyard. Zaeed dropped out of auto-pilot to maneuver through the junk. Wrex and Syl immediately sat back down to buckle down.

"What did we stumble into?" Syl asked.

"I admit this is new to me." Wrex said. "Yeah, there has been people who steal ships and take them apart for the parts, but not in space itself. Let alone done by machines." He took a second to think of a possible answer. "Unless they're scuttling the ship."

"Hold on." Syl got up and made his way to the controls. "I can run a scan. Maybe I can tell what happened…" He tapped in a input and waited for the computer to give him a answer. "No recent ejections of escape pods or shuttlecraft. So they're scuttling with the crew intact? Or did the ship leave the mothership empty to throw us off?

"Doubtful." Zaeed shook his head. "Remote control doesn't have long enough distance to get the ship out this far." He snapped his fingers. "But machines…" Taking the hint, Syl performed a second scan. Zaeed read off the results. "The ship is being run by machines. There's isn't a organic being on board."

"What's going on?" Syl continued to type into the console. The screen flared red for a second. "There's a system error on that ship. Apparently caused by fire damage. In fact, the entire computer on board is scrambled." Syl compiled his thoughts by tapping his fingers against the console. "I think the ship was deployed accidently."

"So it was supposed to be destroyed along with the rest of the mothership." Wrex grimaced. "I think Shepard just walked into a trap." Wrex took control of the shuttle and turned right it around. "As much as I know that Shepard can walk into a blackhole and come out unscathed, this enemy is willing to destroy a perfectly good battleship to gain our trust…"

* * *

"…and I'm willing to do more to your ship if you move."

All Yuri could do was glare. Aisha and Liara were tied down tight; Aisha was given metal bands to prevent her from using her biotic charge and Liara was given special biotic constricts. Yuri was given metal chains and Mordin was given rope and his mouth was taped, obviously to keep him from blabbing nonstop. Tarlan marched around them, a nasty looking rifle in both hands. A simple look at it would send anyone running for cover if they could run for cover.

"Like it?" Tarlan asked, noticing Yuri's line of sight. "This beast is called Penalty. Based around the M1 Carbine you humans used nearly five-hundred years ago. I pull the trigger…and I can vaporize a Krogan Warlord from two hundred paces. Amazingly thing really. According to the scans of the Normandy, this weapon is about equal to one of your preferred M-76 Revenant."

"Well, the Thaniax Cannon can hit a whole lot harder than those two guns combined." Yuri commented.

"True." Tarlan admitted with a shake of his head. "Most weapons used in space need more power to last long enough to hit their target." He sighed as he walked over to the conference table and put the gun down gently. "Your ship is rather unique compared to what we have in the Orbis system."

"And I guess you want it." Yuri finished up.

"Yes, but only the drive core and the stealth system." Tarlan sat down with a deep sigh. "Not the whole ship. We already obtained plans for stronger weapons, so you can keep your weapons in case a real threat comes after you. In this base, we have a drive core that can be outfitted to your ship. It should have enough power to get you back home." And with a glare and a tone that can make Death himself step back, Tarlan said, "Where you belong."

Yuri remained silent. "One question. Am I allowed to ask?"

"Until Normandy shuts down completely, you're allowed the privilege of asking anything you want."

"Orza." Tarlan's head turned to the side. "She's working for you?"

"In a sense." Tarland answered. "While I did arrange for her to get inside of her ship for recon, she only worked for me because I came up with the plan initially. If another member…"

"You're apart of a organization?" Again asked Yuri. Might as well get as much information as possible.

"Yes." Tarlan nodded. "In our…club…Forza is known as the Obsessed." Tarlan laughed hoarsely. "She got her moniker for her drive to get things done. Oh, and…" He held up a finger. "She has a problem with forgiveness. Expect a violent visit from her soon." He tapped his gun, reminding Yuri about how much explosive force one pistol could have. "While our command structure is basically the person with the plan is the one in charge, Forza has never been a leader. Too impatient and focused on her own things to pull off a mission."

"And your title?"

"The Hunter." Tarlan stood up tall. "When the Mass Relay went down, my parents tried to fix it. I was left a orphan at the age of six in a jungle filled with predators. Soon, I was a orphan at the age of twelve in a jungle empty of life. I hunted creatures both big and small. The only thing that lived around me was death itself." He sighed. "Imagine my disappointment when those traders came by and adopted me."

"And let me guess." Yuri sighed. "You decided that hunting humanoids was more…"

"Thrilling? Tarland concluded. "Yes. Satisfying? No. Six years alone in the middle of nowhere had turned me off towards interacting with normal people. They tried to get me to open up…but at the time, I thought they were only interested in the animal pelts I used for clothes. So…yes. I hunted all six during their 'night-hours' and took control of the ship."

"But I didn't return home." Tarlan again sighed. "Am I boring you, Commander?"

"No." Yuri shook his head. "But I wasn't expecting to hear your life story after you capture me."

"I apologize." Tarlan sighed. "I don't know how long I have. I guess…I fear being forgotten. Even my current allies don't care much for me."

"So you're a nice guy." Yuri joked.

"I prefer to be courteous." Tarlan shrugged. "While our organization is about conquering, my only goal is to be remembered. Be it as a hunter who took down the mightiest beast, or the villain who ruled over an entire galaxy." He got up, rifle in hand. "If it will help, I can insure your safe return to your galaxy."

"We came here on a peace mission." Yuri stated.

"This galaxy has no room for peace." Tarlan shook his head. "Sorry, but I grow tired of talking to you." He strolled over to Mordin and removed the tape and reapplied to Yuri's face. "But you, Doctor…"

"Nothing to say to you." Mordin spoke with clear fury in his voice. "Clearly are trying to disguise malice as guilt!"

"Maybe." Tarlan sighed. "Maybe. I find myself sighing to myself a lot. Guess I'm getting old…"

"Six years old when the relay went down twenty years ago." Mordin pointed out. "26 is middle age. Combined with Gotose Disease, life expectancy nearly doubles for Salarians."

"But the side effects, the side effects." Tarlan started to go through the motions of pointing out the missing details. "I could lose a limb at any second. My skin can lose the sense of touch to make something hot to be something cold. Another side effect?" He tapped the trigger on the Penalty. "I get…itchy. At times." He drummed the same finger. "Would you like to list off the other side-effects?"

Mordin glared. "Poor eye sight. Motor control goes into spasms. Unable to properly breath or smell. In short, Gotose Disease destroys the body from the inside by targeting the five senses."

"Yes." Tarlan shook. "My sense of taste is going." He continued to tap the trigger. "In my profession, taste is only useful when trying to determine if food is poisonous or at least edible. Of course, I moved away from the jungle and I have access to real food." But he looked down at his hands. "But my feeling is going. Soon, I won't be able to tell if I'm holding up something smooth or sharp. A…problem."

"Turn yourself in." Mordin asked. "Spend your days in a hospital. Practice hunting Dorbak pigeons."

"…not good enough, doctor." Tarlan shook his head. "Not go…"

INTRUDER ALERT

Tarlan looked up to the monitor he installed, before darting over to Yuri. "Commander. I made it clear that to your people that if they attempt to reclaim you, I would kill you and destroy the ship." He aggressively went over to where he put down his communicator. "Normandy? Please disengage your rescue attempt…"

BOOM

"Belay that order." Tarlan lazily looked over to see two humans and a Krogan pointing huge guns at him, standing in front of a charred hole in the wall. The huge Krogan ordered, "Drop the device and gun and back away slowly with your hands in the air. Now."

"Impressive, Wrex." Tarlan blinked, like he was talking with a friend. He put down the communicator, but not the gun. "I thought you preferred the human expression, 'shoot first and ask questions later.'"

"Maybe after you free your prisoners." Wrex demanded. "I take it they're wired to explode?"

"No." Tarlan shook his head. "But then again, as you got past my security without triggering the alarm at the last second…" He stopped for a second. "You triggered the alarm on purpose to get me to turn my back." Syl smiled and used a free hand to show a datapad that was currently running a complex program. "You managed to hack my entire security system with that?"

"Well…" Syl started without dropping neither pad nor the pistol. "One of your own machines were running maintenance on a electric panel outside when Zaeed shot it in the back. I dug out some parts from the panel and used it to make our way through." He used the pad to point to him. "I can lock you out of your own bedroom."

"Nicely done." Tarlan looked over to Yuri. "I haven't heard much about this man. Where did you find him?"

"None of your damn business." Zaeed stepped forward. "Release your hostages and we can settle this back on the Normandy's brig."

"Sounds good." Tarlan shrugged. "This planet, like me, is dying and the medical supplies aren't strong enough to support my condition. But the Normandy…probably has the equipment I need to live a little while longer. And my tenor with the organization isn't very supportive for my life. So maybe it is time to turn myself in…" At the sign of resignation, the three lowered their weapon to go in for the arrest.

However, they jumped away as soon as Tarlan raised the Penalty fired off a massive burst of deadly energy. "Yet, the hunt must continue on until the hunter can no longer raise his weapon or until he's killed."

Wrex and Zaeed grabbed Yuri and Mordin and got them into cover. Syl rushed over to the still bound Liara and Aisha and started to fiddle with the binds. Tarlan would focused fire on him if Zaeed didn't provide cover fire with a inferno grenade at his feet. As Tarlan danced away from the fire, Wrex started to open fire, hitting Tarlan with a few stray bullets before the Hunter got himself behind a pillar.

"Everything the report said was true!" Tarlan announced. "It seems like the entire crew of the Normandy can hold off a entire army!"

"WOULD YOU KINDLY SHUT THE FLYING HELL UP?!" Wrex yelled out loud in blind impatience as he rounded the corner with guns blazing. The near suicide attack worked as Tarlan attempted to shoot down the approaching Krogan, only to receive about twenty shots of plasma to the chest. If the shield he had on wasn't stronger than the rifle, Tarlan would have been ingloriously shot down. But as a bullet pierced his face, he had to thrown down a flash bomb to get away from Wrex.

"Come on…" Syl groaned as his Omni-tool wasn't making it through the binds. He tried everything on the hacked datapad, but apparently the code to open the locks wasn't on the system. His Omni-Tool had turned into a saw blade to break through, and it barely made a cut. Liara muffled something through her constraint. Once Syl realized she was trying to say something, he got the mouth bind out.

"Mr. Wallace!" Liara coughed. "Free me and I can get Aisha out!" She used her eyes to point to the datapad. "Run Program Z247!" After a look of confirmation, Syl ran the program.

Tarlan went into the offensive. He paid attention to where each combatant was and made sure to focus on them if they got too close. For such a small battlefield, the battle became a guerrilla war. Zaeed and Wrex could barely get shots in as Tarlan coated the field with destructive firepower. While he wasn't gaining much ground of his own, everybody knew that he only needed one shot to end it. And he was getting dangerously close to pulling off a hit.

Tarlan could feel his blood boiling again.

At long last, a hunt! Not between mindless animals and one-path automatons, but between intelligent beings who could hold their ground! Every man who tracks his prey must be ready to do whatever it takes to bring down their target! Be it silently or destructive! Today shall be a hunt to be told in all the halls of all the worlds!

But the hunt ended with a bang, but not on Tarlan's side. A chair came flying towards him, and dodging it caused him to take a hit from Zaeed's rifle. Tarlan tried to run back to cover, but a physical body came charging into him as the force of 750 newtons. Tarlan got sent flying into the wall. Again, his shield took most of the impact, but that was it. The device started to spark a bit thanks to the damage caused. Now that four people had entered the fray; the roles of predator and prey got reserved. Seeing how his guards were taken out, he had no choice. He fumbled into his coat's pocket to retrieve a device. As Aisha approached with fists charged with biotic energy, Tarlan pressed the button.

The GARDIAN tower fired off a random shot. The Normandy, on toes after Tarlan announced he had hostages, managed to pull away from the shot in time. However, the firing of the tower wasn't truly meant to destroy the Normandy as revenge. Rather, to steal the last remaining bit of power left in the world.

The planet started to shake. The tower continued to fire out, its immediate cut-out switch removed long before hand. The planet was being drained dry and the shaking got more violent. As the conference room started to crumble under the pressure of the tectonic plates falling into pieces, Tarlan threw down a second flash bang to cover his escape.

"NO!" Yuri yelled over the collapsing building. He grabbed the pistol Syl dropped and ran into the only open door that Tarlan could have gone through. The others were heading the other direction towards the shuttle and couldn't follow Yuri after the pillars blocked their path.

Tarlan noticed that he had only one pursuer. While he considered a hunt to be a one-on-one struggle, this wasn't the time to try to fight back. Besides, the Penalty required two hands to fire and he couldn't afford to turn around and fire off a shot. But the Commander made the smart decision of bringing along a pistol, and he didn't need to turn around or anything. He had a straight forward shot.

But luck had once again graced the hunter, as the collapsing building sent a piece of the roof onto Yuri's hands, stripping him of his weapon. Yuri didn't let that stop him as he only ran even faster to catch up with Tarlan. Soon the two arrived at a landing pad with Tarlan's small ship waiting for him. Yet again, Tarlan was saved by luck as the building collapsed in such a way that prevented Yuri from reaching him as a large gap opened up.

Tarlan had the perfect shot. Target was trapped, and it would only take one bulley to end it all. But he didn't even bother to line up the shot as he threw the gun into the chasm, letting it fall into the dead core of the world. Yuri looked on with shock.

"Killing you now would be a unworthy victory." Tarlan solemnly said. "I admit my defeat. My plan to take parts off your ship will have to wait until another day." He turned around to walk to his ship but he stopped halfway. "Commander. You have one more question to ask me, correct?"

"What is the name of your organization?" Yuri yelled over the roaring wind.

Tarlan glared with a empty look. "We are referred to as the Seven Dark Stars. You've met two of us. Soon, the remaining five shall want to shake your hand." Tarlan jumped onto his ship's loading platform and started to ascend inside. "I must warn you, Commander. My allies aren't as…kind as I was."

And his last words before he fully entered his ship and left the dead world were, once more, "This isn't where you belong."

The ship darted out of sight as Yuri stood there, taking into account everything that had happened. In fact, if the shuttle hadn't came right around, Yuri would have stood there and fell into the abyss. Aisha had to grab him by the shoulders and lift him inside to get off the planet.

As Wrex and Syl got the ship to the max speed, it gave the rest of the crew a chance to look out to see the planet literally fall apart. Giant cracks appeared all over, and continued to get bigger and spread out. The atmosphere faded, the brown got darker, and soon the planet itself started to fall apart and drift out. It was like thin ice being stepped on. The planet was no more, just a group of floating rocks in the middle of space. The crew returned to their seats.

"So tell me." Aisha asked with a mean tone. "Did you learn anything when you ran after our villain as the planet around you was starting to fall apart?"

"The Seven Dark Stars." Yuri commented. "The name of their organization. Five more like him and Forza will come for us." He laid his head back and closed his eyes.

"I hope to God we can be ready for them…"


End file.
